BUXTON, N.C. — A massive beach greets anyone on the oceanfront right now in Buxton, but this time last year is when the area started losing homes to the ocean. With a coastal storm approaching, neighbors and property owners in Buxton are thankful to be protected by an ongoing beach nourishment project.
"We're just very thankful that they put the nourishment in," said Carol Dillon, owner of the Outer Banks Motel.
This time last year, News 3 introduced viewers to Carol Dillon, who's 97 years young. At the time, Hurricane Erin and the coastal storms that followed threatened her property.
"We have been sitting here for a year, maybe a year and a half, worrying about losing two of our cottages," said Dillon.
Those cottages are now safe, but in the last year Buxton lost 20 oceanfront properties. This year, as a coastal storm makes its way here, the feeling is different. That's because more than 1.6 million of the 2 million total cubic yards of sand have been placed here through the ongoing beach nourishment project.
"It's been a stressful few years because of storms and no beach at all. So we're thankful for it being done and such a large beach. I mean, it's been a few years since I've seen beach out that far," said Dillon.
As the coastal storm makes its way to the area, Dare County officials shared an update on the plan for the current beach nourishment and single jetty repair project, depending on conditions.
"We are monitoring the forecast closely, and both contractors have plans in place for securing their equipment and suspending operations when conditions are no longer safe.
At this point, work is continuing at both the beach nourishment and terminal groin project sites. As conditions warrant, Great Lakes will move the dredges to safe harbor and secure/stage equipment on the beach, while the groin contractor will move equipment to its designated staging area.
We'll provide an update as soon as we have more definitive information about the timing and any anticipated impacts to the projects."
For Dillon, Hatteras Island is no stranger to storms, but there's a clear sense of relief as this one approaches. For the first time in a long time, Dillon won't have to worry about those two cottages on her property.
"We had already asked for permission to move them. Of course, now with this wonderful beach out there, hopefully we won't have to, in my lifetime anyway," said Dillon.
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